2017 Details and Rules

All submissions will be comprised of two components: a work of art and a work of writing. The art and the writing must relate to each other.

Deadline

Submissions due Friday, April 21, 2017 at 11:00 pm EST

Divisions

Middle School

High School

Judging has two stages. Finalist are selected through online community voting and winners by the judges’ review of the finalists.

Prizes

1st Prize: $250

2nd Prize: $125

3rd Prize: $75

Arts

All submissions must be made as a high quality digital jpg file. That is, even if it is hand drawn or painted, it must be photographed to be submitted and considered.

2D images should be scanned whenever possible. If scanning is not possible, a photograph should be taken. Submissions should be jpg files with max compression rate (12) and at least 1500 x 2100 dpi, 2400 x 3000 preferred.

All languages are acceptable. For any language other than English, please provide a translation.

General

All submissions must be made to the contest website by the submission deadline. There is no fee for submission

All submissions must be appropriate for family audiences.

All content must be original – material violating copyright laws will not be accepted. Copyright for each submission (art and text) is retained by the creator(s); the creators grant Envision a non-exclusive license to share it and display it.

Submissions may not be made by individual students, they must be made on behalf of an organization by a teacher or other adult. Submitting organizations can include schools, enrichment and support programs, faith-based and community organizations (ex. Boy or Girl Scouts).

For schools, submitting person is most likely a teacher or school staff member; for clubs, the appropriate advisor, etc. The person submitting on behalf of the creative team and organization MUST:

Be 18 years or older

Be able to submit on behalf of the organization/club/program

Obtain copyright releases from ALL participants.

If someone is depicted in an image, then a model release must be submitted

Examples

Kindness shown others

Returns in greater numbers

Enriching the soul

~D. R. DiFrancesco ~~

Before you know what kindness really is
you must lose things,
feel the future dissolve in a moment
like salt in a weakened broth.
What you held in your hand,
what you counted and carefully saved,
all this must go so you know
how desolate the landscape can be
between the regions of kindness.
How you ride and ridethinking the bus will never stop,the passengers eating maize and chickenwill stare out the window forever.

True altruism stems from empathy, our ability to emotionally connect with other people. This ability to empathise means that we are part of a shared network of consciousness. We feel the impulse to alleviate other people’s suffering because we can sense it as if it were our own (to a greater or lesser degree, since levels of empathy obviously vary from person to person). In the words of the philosopher Schopenhauer, “My own true inner being actually exists in every living creature, as truly and immediately known as my own consciousness in myself…This is the ground of compassion upon which all true, that is to say unselfish, virtue rests, and whose expression is in every good deed.”

In other words, there is no need to make excuses for altruism. Instead, we should celebrate it as a one of the highest—and at the same time most fundamental—aspects of human nature.

Consider this your page - so come on in! Viewing content that is positive and expresses kindness, compassion, and empathy will not only lift your mood but can also make you healthier and increase the relationships you share!
Share and view kind content and increase your overall well being by engaging with us!
@EnvisionKindness#pictureabetterworld

Social justice naturally flows from kindness. Kindness to others requires learning and acknowledging the history and issues so that social justice can manifest. Below is the first of two short but impactful videos from the Equal Justice Initiative https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4e_djVSag4

Photo of the Week #75: "A Lovingly Brother Gesture”
“This gesture of two brothers lovingly caressing one another is a typical gesture when these lions that are part of the famous Marsh Pride of Lions who live in Savuti, Botswana. The pride splits up during different seasons of the year but come together every now and again and this is a familiar gesture between the pride as they come together. It shows that loving and kindness is also applicable in the world of our wild animals.”-E. Gibson#PhotoOftheWeek#PictureaBetterWorld#kindnesshttps://www.envisionkindness.org/gallery/